Atlantic Angel Shark Fishing

Atlantic Angel Shark

Atlantic angel shark (Squatina dumeril)Also called sand devil, the Atlantic angel shark is frequently mistaken for a ray because of its flattened, triangular body.

This fish is unlike a ray, however, as its gill slits are lateral and create a deep indentation be-tween its head and pectoral fin. The Atlantic angel is brownish to bluish gray on the back and whitish on the belly, and it has a mid-dorsal row of denticles. The large mouth is terminal, and the teeth have a broad base with a long, pointed central cusp. The pectoral fins are not attached to the body at the rear, and Atlantic angels swim without making much use of them. Growing to 5 feet long, Atlantic angels will bite when captured and can inflict vicious wounds. In the western Atlantic, they range from southern New England to the Gulf of Mexico, also occurring around Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Venezuela; they are rarer off southern Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. They are common during the summer along the Mid-Atlantic states.